John P. Burgess
James Henry Snowden Professor of Systematic Theology
Year Started at PTS: 1998
Contact Info
412-924-1430
Education
- Ph.D., University of Chicago / Christian Theology
- M.Div., McCormick Theological Seminary
- M.A., University of Chicago / Religion
- B.A., Colorado College / Philosophy/Native American Studies
Recent Courses Taught
- Church and Sacraments
- Confessing the Faith Today
- Reformed Theology: Practice and Formation
- The Pastoral Rule
- Ancient Church History
- Introduction to Eastern Orthodoxy
- Protestant Encounters with Orthodoxy
Academic Bio
The Rev. Dr. John P. Burgess has taught at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary since 1998. Previously he was professor and chaplain at Doane College and associate for theology in the Office of Theology and Worship, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). He was awarded his B.A. from Colorado College, his M.Div. from McCormick Theological Seminary, and his Ph.D. in Christian theology from the University of Chicago. An ordained Presbyterian minister, Burgess has served several congregations part time. He is the author of numerous books. Burgess’ professional memberships include the American Academy of Religion, the Society of Christian Ethics, and the American Theological Society. He has served his denomination as a member of the Presbyteries’ Cooperative Committee on Examinations and the Re-forming Ministry Initiative (Office of Theology and Worship) and as a faculty mentor for the Company of New Pastors. Burgess was a Fulbright Scholar to Russia in 2011 and again in 2018-2019, a Luce Fellow in Theology for 2011-2012, and a research fellow at the Center of Theological Inquiry in 2014-2015. These awards have supported his current research on the Russian Orthodox Church in post-communist Russia. Burgess is married and has three grown daughters, who are also his theological teachers.
Selected Publications
Why Read Pavel Florensky? (Washington, DC: The Catholic University of America Press, 2024)
A Pastoral Rule for Today: Reviving an Ancient Tradition, with Jerry Andrews and Joseph D. Small (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2019)
Confessing Our Faith: The Book of Confessions for Church Leaders (WJK, 2018)
Holy Rus': The Rebirth of Orthodoxy in the New Russia (Yale University Press, 2017)
Encounters with Orthodoxy: How Protestant Churches Can Reform Themselves Again (WJK, 2013)
What is Justification About? (co-edited with Michael Weinrich; Eerdmans, 2009)
After Baptism: Shaping the Christian Life (WJK, 2005)
Why Scripture Matters: Reading the Bible in a Time of Church Conflict (WJK, 1998)
The East German Church and the End of Communism (Oxford University Press, 1997)
Church Association
Ordination: PC(USA), Minister of Word and Sacrament
Professional Competencies
Areas of Specialty
- Ecclesiology
- Worship and Sacraments
- Theology of Karl Barth
- Orthodox Church in Post-Communist Russia
- Protestant Church in Post-Communist Eastern Germany
Professional Service
Board Service
- Fellow of the Center for Barth Studies, Princeton Theological Seminary
- Member of the Board of the Center for Catholic and Evangelical Theology (Pro Ecclesia)
Leadership for Professional Societies
- Chairman of the International Connections Committee of the American Academy of Religion
Awards/Fellowships/Distinctions
- 2022: Summer Research Lab Associate, University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana
- 2018-2019, Fulbright Scholar
- 2014-2015: Research Fellow, Center of Theological Inquiry
- 2012: Luce Fellow in Theology
- 2011: Fulbright Scholar
Additional Resources
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- "In-Churching Russia," First Things, May 2014. In this article, Dr. Burgess discusses observations of the reemergence of the Orthodox Church in post-Soviet Russia through the eyes of an American Protestant.
- In this podcast, Bobby Maddex interviews Dr. John Burgess about the Seminary's Eastern Christian Doctor of Ministry cohort, an academic offering presented in partnership with Antiochian House of Studies. Listen to the podcast.